Nature's Meanings: American Experiences

What we think of as "nature" today is the result of a complex and fascinating history. The many meanings of nature emerge from Americans' experiences of the physical world and their understandings of, and contests over, their place in that world. This course will investigate how American meanings of nature have changed from European-Native contact to the present. How have changing meanings reshaped American culture and the natural environment? These questions will be addressed from historical, literary, religious, and philosophical perspectives. Readings may include: Emerson, Thoreau, Marsh, Muir, Leopold, and Carson, as well as other Euro-American and Native American writers. 3 hrs. lect.